Books

Here is a quick list of books read/listened in last few weeks. I will write a brief summary/review for each of them as and when I have the time…

The Psychology of Achievement: Develop the Top Achiever’s Mindset

21 Secrets to Success

Lead The Field

The Psychology of Winning

Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High

Next on the list:
Jack: Straight from the Gut

Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time
is a book about getting more things done in the (limited) time that you have. This book is written by Brian Tracy who is a self-made millionaire. The basic premise of the book is that to be more productive, you have to find out that one task that you need to do which will make a difference (and not the task that you feel like doing) and take steps to do it right away with urgency. The book has a lot of good ideas to help you find your biggest frog and eat it!

Recommended for the perpetual procrastinators (yes, that means you!)

Here is a summary of 21 ways to stop procrastinating and getting more things done faster:

1. Set the table: Decide exactly what to do. Write down goals and objectives.
2. Plan every day in advance: Think on paper. Every minute spent in planning can save 5-10 minutes in execution.
3. Apply 80/20 Rule to everything: 20% of activities account for 80% of results. Always concentrate efforts on those top 20%.
4. Consider the consequences: Most important tasks and priorities are those with most serious consequences. Focus on them.
5. Practice the ABCDE method continually: Prioritize tasks from A – most important to E – least important to make sure you always work on the most important task.
6. Focus on key result areas: Identify and determine those results that you absolutely, positively have to get to do your job well, and work on them all day long.
7. Obey the Law of Forced Efficiency: There is never enough time for everything, but there is always enough time to do the most important things. What are they ?
8. Prepare thoroughly before you begin: PPPPP Proper prior preparation prevents poor performance.
9. Do your homework: The more knowledgeable and skilled you become at your key tasks, the faster you start them and sooner you get them done.
10. Leverage your special talents: Determine what it is that you are very good at doing and throw your whole heart into doing those things very well.
11. Identify your key constraints: Determine the bottlenecks or choke points, internally or externally, that set the speed at which tou achieve your most important goals and focus on alleviating them.
12. Take it one oil barrel at a time: You can accomplish biggest and most complicated jo if you just complete it one step at a time.
13. Put the pressure on yourself: Imagine that you have to leave town for a month and work as if you had to get all your major tasks completed before you left.
14. Maximize your personal powers: Identify the periods of highest mental and physical energy and structure the most important and demanding tasks around those times.
15. Motivate yourself into action: Focus on the solution rather than the problem. Always be optimistic and constructive.
16. Practice creative procrastination: Since you cannot do everything, learn to deliberately put off low value tasks, so that you have enough time to do the few things that really count.
17. Do the most difficult task first: Begin each day to do the most difficult task, the one task that can make the freatest contrivution to yourself and your work, and resolve to stay at it until it is complete.
18. Slice and dice the task: Break large, complex tasks down into smaller pieces.
19. Create large chunks of time: Organize your days around large blocks of time where you can concentrate for extended periods on your most important tasks.
20. Develop a sense of urgency: Make a habit of moving fast on your key tasks.
21. Single handle every task: Set clear priorities, start immediately on your most important task, and them work without stopping until the job is 100 percent complete.

The Innovator’s Dilemma is a great book by Clayton M. Christensen. The central theme of the book is that unless specific measures are taken, disruptive innovation causes highly successful businesses to fail. This is not because they are badly managed or are technically incompetent, but because they get pressurized by their existing customers and investors to not commit the resources to the innovation. The markets for disruptive innovation are emerging, low margin, unpredictable and can not contribute substantially to the bottom line of large companies. It also becomes a conflict of values problem for the current cash-cow products and the new innovation. The solution is to form a completely new organization with new management and values and let it grow and gradually shift focus to the new organization.

The book also gives good examples of Computer systems manufactures – mainframe to minicomputers to personal desktop systems, Printer manufacturers – Dot-Matrix vs Laser vs inkjet, Departmental stores to Discount stores.

A very good read.

Update: (2005/06/27) [Here is a link to IT conversation talk with Clayton Christensen](http://www.itconversations.com/shows/detail135.html “IT Conversations”)